


Promise

by orphan_account



Category: K (Anime)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-24
Updated: 2013-02-24
Packaged: 2017-12-03 11:00:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/697535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place between #9 Knell and #10 Kaleidoscope; after Weissmann’s blimp crashes, the main trio take a break from fleeing the scene. However, Shiro’s uncertainty keeps him from rest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Promise

**Author's Note:**

> (Implied Kuroh/Shiro, I guess.)

“Kurosuke… can we take a break? My legs are tired…” Neko pleaded.

“Yeah… mine too…” Yashiro chimed in.

After their helicopter crash into the silver blimp, Kuroh, Yashiro, and Neko fled the scene undetected thanks to Kuroh’s stealth and Neko’s illusions. The trio put as much distance as they could between themselves and the fiery airship, and the initial adrenaline had long worn off. Their flight was beginning to take its toll on their bodies. At hearing Yashiro and Neko’s plea, Kuroh, who was leading his two friends, slowed his pace to an eventual stop and turned around. Under any other circumstances, Kuroh would have berated the two on their laziness, but even he was showing signs of fatigue.

“…Fine. Rest is necessary before taking action.” Kuroh relented. “Is there anywhere safe?”

“What about there?” Neko eagerly pointed to an empty park field. There was only a single tree in it surrounded by a lush sea of grass.

“Isn’t that little… obvious, Neko?” Shiro asked.

“No problem! I’ll hide us from the bad people with my awesome skills!” Neko replied happily, taking Shiro’s hands and running into the field. Kuroh followed behind Shiro, who was trying not to trip on himself with Neko tugging his hand. Neko flopped down onto the grass and performed a satisfying stretch accompanied by a yawn. She patted the grass next to her.

“Shiro! Come sleep here!”

“Okay, okay.” Shiro opened his parasol and set it down over Neko; the sun was just peeking over the horizon and he wanted to protect them from the imminent daylight. He then obediently laid down next Neko, who proceeded to snuggle up against his arm and quickly doze off. Meanwhile, Kuroh sat under the tree and closed his eyes, meditating. His stiff form began to relax as he failed to detect any potential threats.

As time passed and light filled the sky, Shiro was unable to sleep. Doubts swirled about in his head, and closing his eyes seemed to intensify them. His identity, the murder of the man in the video, the red and blue flames, the colorless king… It was all eating at him, and crashing the blimp did absolutely nothing to get answers. He turned his head to the side; Neko’s content sleeping face greeted him. She hugged his arm like one might a pillow, or a stuffed animal. Shiro carefully slipped his arm out of Neko’s grasp and rose from his spot in the grass.

He glanced over at the tree. Kuroh was still sitting under it, looking serene under the shade. I could use some of that calmness too, he thought, and began to walk towards the tree. Shiro sat down against the trunk next to Kuroh as quietly as he could, not wanting to wake the swordsman. However, said swordsman was already awake.

“Is something wrong?” Kuroh asked, eyes still closed.

“Uh… no, just can’t sleep.” Shiro answered, surprised his companion wasn’t sleeping like Neko.

Kuroh opened his eyes and directed them at Shiro. “What do you mean? Aren’t you tired after running?”

“Well my body’s tired, but my mind’s restless as ever, haha…” Shiro smiled weakly, shifting his gaze away from Kuroh’s.

Kuroh remained silent. He couldn’t say he knew how Shiro felt; he was always sure of himself, of his position as the vassal of Ichigen Miwa. But Shiro… uncertainty had taken over his life in a short span of time. Losing your identity must feel awful, Kuroh supposed. He was unable to think of a situation that could measure up to it.

“Hey, Kuroh?” The Black Dog was snapped out of his musings by Shiro’s voice.

“What is it?”

“Who am I really? I want to know, but at the same time, I don’t.”

Me too, Kuroh thought.

“It’s… a little scary, not remembering anything. What… what if I’m a bad person, Kuroh?”

“You don’t seem so bad right now.”

“But what about my past? Did I really kill someone? Did I do other awful, horrible things?” Shiro’s voice wavered. “I don’t want to have a past I don’t remember following me around.”

Upon hearing this, Kuroh internally debated on how to comfort Shiro. Should he say something? No, he’d probably make it worse… Should he quote his former master’s words? Did Ichigen-sama ever say anything about lost memories…? Kuroh settled for awkwardly putting his arm around Shiro’s shoulders. His eyes widened a bit; he could feel Shiro trembling a bit. Was he… crying?

“It’s selfish, but I don’t want to face whatever my past self did. I don’t want people coming to kill me or thinking I killed someone. I don’t want to be marked by these things. I don’t want to die, either. I just want to run far, far away. I’m a coward…” A few tears ran down Shiro’s face, followed by quiet sobs.

Kuroh attempted to rub Shiro’s arm in a comforting manner and softly told Shiro, “It’ll be okay, things will work out.”

“Maybe…” Shiro whispered as he laid his head on Kuroh’s shoulder. Exhaustion seemed to have finally caught up with him.

“I wish I could stay here forever with Neko… and you…” Shiro sighed dreamily. “Kuroh… we’re friends, right?”

The question caught Kuroh off guard. Were they really friends? They had become close over the past days, hadn’t they?

“Of… of course.” He replied.

“Then promise me this.” Shiro stuck his hand in front of Kuroh’s face with the pinky sticking up. “Promise me we’ll still be friends, even if you have to kill me.”

Kuroh lifted his hand up and laced his pinky with Shiro’s, who squeezed back. “I promise.”

“Thanks,” Shiro’s grip on Kuroh’s pinky lightened. “because I like you a lot, Kuroh. I really, really, like you…” He trailed off, and amber eyes closed on a lightly blushing face. Sleep had finally claimed the white-haired boy, leaving Kuroh to contemplate Shiro’s parting words as the wind blew through the silent field.


End file.
